San Jose Sharks Showing They Deserve To Be Taken Seriously
The San Jose Sharks had a bit of a rough start to the year as they struggled to find their bearings. Early on, young potential star Tomas Hertl was not producing like he was expected to out of the gate, Patrick Marleau was on a cold slump, and the only players that seemed to have any real life in them were Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, and Martin Jones.
At the 2015 NHL draft, the San Jose Sharks made a bold move by trading for career backup goaltender Martin Jones, who had just been traded to the Boston Bruins at that time. The Sharks gave up a first round pick for the young net minder in the hopes that he would pan out to be the starter they needed in lieu of Antti Niemi being let go to the Dallas Stars. Out of the gate, Jones was stellar by shutting out 2 opponents in his first three games. Now, that is a stat that could skew the expectations for the young Jones, but he remained a solid minder each night he has played.
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An enormous setback for the Sharks this season that had them in a bit of a limbo style of play, was the loss of young star Logan Couture to an injury that kept him out for most of the season. Recently he has returned to the lineup and has been a consistent factor in the decisions of games.
The Sand Jose Sharks currently sit with a record of 39-25-6 which is currently good enough for third in the pacific division. On top of that, they have won 7 out of their last 10 games which has helped them catch up to the red hot Anaheim Ducks.
As the season has pushed on for the Sharks, three players in particular have been dominant forces on the ice; Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Brent Burns.
Who would have thought when the San Jose Sharks made the trade with the Minnesota Wild a few years back sending Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, and Charlie Coyle away in return for Martin Havlat and Brent Burns, that the Sharks would have been acquiring one of the most dynamic defenders in the league. Brent Burns is without a doubt the hottest player on the Sharks roster right now and his stats (26G, 38A) certainly stand to prove that case. The Sharks top defender plays a complete game and plays to the end every game; there are no breaks in his book. Boasting offensive numbers like he is has certainly made his team that much more dangerous.
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“Jumbo” Joe Thornton has been a staple in the cog of the Sharks offense for over a decade, and thought his physical speed may be dropping, his superior playmaking skills have not gone anywhere. Sitting at the top of the Sharks scoring list with 68 points in 70 games (52 of those points assists) his second half of the season surge has proven to be one of the key elements to the Sharks push towards the playoffs. As Thornton is aging quickly, I would bet that he is determined as ever to push his team to the Stanley Cup finals for once.
Joe Pavelski was named the Sharks Captain at the start of this year and he was the right man for the job. Even when his teammates were not producing, or playing the way they needed to be, he either stepped up and played a big game, or has inspired his teammates to follow him in example. Pavelski leads the Sharks in goals with 32 on his plate, and I expect him to push for 40 by season’s end.
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With all of these players gaining their confidence again, and the stellar play of their young starting goaltender, the San Jose Sharks are a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference and deserve to not only be taken seriously in the regular season, but when the playoffs roll around for them as well.